Friday 29 August 2008

Artz Yard Oct

Well have you been to the Artz Yard in Portaferry ? It's a gallery that has been there for around a year which shows a selection of work both locally and further afield. I have some work going into their Autumn exhibition. I just have to select which pieces. It's nice to have a few to show in a collection 3 or 4 makes it more of a variety of things. I've been painting more sailing pictures over the summer. It's when I take a notion of doing them.Something to do with actually getting to sail.

I'm also working on a Chinese collection I'm into my third print and the aim is to have 5 but you have to see how it goes one at a time. I can't believe I have to start thinking about Christmas already. But I suppose it's the nature of the beast.

Anyway don't forget about next Thursday at Belfast Print workshops 3D off the page exhibition and all the others for the first Thursday.www.belfastgalleries.com

Also the Naughton Gallery has an opening 2 September 6-8. Barry Orr, Mechanical Doodles and there is still time to catch the current exhibition at the Engine room , Newtownards Road. There are some nice prints from Peter Hutchinson in Paris.

Friday 22 August 2008

First Solo exhibition

So my news today is that I have secured my first Solo exhibition. Which is great for me. I have been building up a body of work and it will be nice to see them in one coherant space. Well actually it's a couple of spaces really.

The location is Clotworthy Arts Centre, Antrim it is in beautiful grounds on the edge of Antrim on the way to Randalstown.

Date: November, December 2008

Yes that's quite soon in fact it's only a couple of months away but I do have enough to put in it. I just need to get it all framed. Exciting and stressful.It's funny often when I first make paintings or prints I don't want to part with them , it's as if they are too fresh . It takes a while before I'm happy to let them go off into the world. Now is that time.

So what other interesting exhibtions are there coming up?

Michael Hart has one on in La Boca, Fountain street Belfast unitl the 13 September. I think it's a great coherant show and the more you look at it the more you see in it.

The Royal Ulster Academy are having their annual show that opens on 19th September at the Titanic drawings offices.

Belfast print workshops have a Print in 3D exhibition coming up with the opening on the FIRST THURSDAY 4th Sept .For a list of other galleries open that night http://www.belfastgalleries.com/

So as you can see the creativity in Belfast just keeps on happening. I put in a submission for the 3D show it got me crocheting again,(see photo top left of blog) it was quite nice to remember that I could do it.

Floods and morters

So last weekend was filled with floods and morters. I have to say I did'nt realise just how bad it was on Saturday as I was at a wedding and inside all day. The wedding was in Ormeau Baths Gallery. It was really nice, a great space for a wedding. It was in fact the first time I have been in a wedding in Belfast so I must be a local now.

You do have to wonder about the wet weather, is there going to be more to come? Overhearing people on the bus they were saying, of coarse once the kids are back at school the weather will be better. Sods law.

I'm surprised by how little was made of the morter attack at the weekend, on the other hand I suppose people did not want to "blow" it out of proportion, so to speak.

Still lots of tourists in Belfast wandering around in the rain but not today as it's stopped for a while.

So can you believe it's the end of August? Really can you believe it? where did the months go?
The traffic will be back to it's normal flow soon the days will be getting shorter and generally moving in a slow slide to Christmas aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

I've even got my first invite to a Christmas party, sad but true. Pretty, pretty sad.

Tuesday 12 August 2008

Rain, rain, rain

Oh when will it ever stop ? the rain that is. I feel sorry for all those people with Belsonic festival tickets, not a nice day to stand in Customs house square in the wet. Yesterday I was in Belfast city centre and it was interesting to see at 7.30 in the evening just how many people were around. Lots of French tourists but then it is August their prime holiday time. I'm sure they think that what ever they heard about the rain in Ireland was an underestimation.

Turn the clock back even five years ago and there would not be that many people about at that time.It's just one more signal that Belfast it getting back in the swing of things. The other thing I have noticed is just how many people from the South of Ireland are shopping in Victoria square, if you listen to shoppers every other person seems to be from the South. So hopefully with the tourists and day trippers from the South it might keep the Belfast economy going a bit longer than would otherwise be possible. I have to say when you go around the shops you don't get the feeling that their is a credit crunch happening. There are lots of people out shopping.

So apart from that I have noticed that O Carrolls are opening a shop in High Street, you might recognise them from Dublin, just the place you want to go it you want to buy Guinness slippers or leprechaun hats. There is nothing like a bit of Paddywhackery. Is there a Ulster Scots equivelent? can't wait to see it if there is ? but just what would the shop include?

Thursday 7 August 2008

Paintings not prints

One good thing about the weather being wet and rainy is that it has given me new colours to use when I'm painting. It's amazing when you are sailing how the colours change on the sea depending on the weather.You can use a whole other palette of greys and greens. Which is what I have been doing, I've been experimenting using a MDF background of it lets a sort of brown shine through on the paintings a bit like using pastel paper and pastels.

I've been quite pleased with some of them and have a selection of them in www.townhouseart.com a gallery in Great Victoria Street Belfast. They are getting framed a the moment and will be in the gallery from next week as well as up on their website. They have also selected a number of prints for the gallery as well. I think its very interesting to see what prints different people pick when they are looking through a portfolio. Everyone goes for something different. But that's what makes life interesting.

I've also been working on some new Chine colle prints, using some amazing paste and paper that I bought when in China. Chine colle is Chinese collage you can use it as a way of getting colour into your prints but its tricky to do as there is always an element of chance with it, however I'm kind off addicted to it at the moment.

Now don't forget that tonight is first Thursday www.belfastgalleries.com when all the gallery are open late they are even having a party afterwards. Rumour has it that soon they are going to have a bus going around the different galleries on first Thursday evenings. However it's not recommended that you have a glass of wine at each venue.

Friday 1 August 2008

A homefinder but not as we know it?

Ok so yesterday there was a homefinder with the "telly" hoever there were only three pages of sparce adverts and the rest was actual articles.Wow is the telegraph finally going to have to actually have some journalism happening?? Why oh why do they still have a page about all the up beat investment you can do in property overseas?? do they not realise what's going on ?

I noticed on the radio the other day a delivery container full of oil got hijacked in West Belfast , I suppose we are going to hear about more of these incidents as time goes on.

On a lighter note is the start of www.creativepeninsula.info which runs through August where you can get a chance to have a go at lots of different crafts, listen to artists talk and see the creativity that is going on in the Ard's peninsula. So its better to forget about the credit crunch and go and be inspired.